“Umm, are you getting enough food?” Noble poked me in the ribs when my shirt rode up as I reached for a bottle of water. “I don’t remember you being this bony when we picked you up last week.”

Last week? It seemed like an eternity ago. “How would you know if I lost weight?”

Hey, man, I only got a bagel from the coffee cart some mornings, two meals, and barely any snacks. For a shifter’s diet, that was practically starvation, but Nolan and I were getting by. Kinda.

Noble shrugged. “I may or may not have noticed your body. I am a guy.”

“You totally checked me out!” A grin pulled at my lips before I shoved another chip in my mouth.

“It doesn’t take a genius to see it.” He leaned forward, looking past me at his brother. “Don’t you see it, Honor?”

I dipped another chip and shoved the entire thing loaded with tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno into my mouth.

So good.

Before Honor could answer, I felt someone approach at my back.

“Answer his question, Nai,” Rage growled. “Are you getting enough food?”

His voice washed over me, and heat radiated within the narrow space between us. The strength he exuded was like a magnet. I gritted my teeth, steeling myself before I turned to look at him.

Snapping my mouth shut, I nodded, nearly choking when I forced a swallow. Rage and Justice stood there; both their sets of emerald green eyes skimmed over my body like hungry wolves.

No pun intended.

The Midnight boys were paying attention to my weight? Noble was all goodness and kindness and light, so I could see him looking out for me. But Rage? He’d spewed his eternal hatred a week ago and ignored me ever since. Why the hell did he care now?

“I mean our fridge isn’t exactly stocked, but I eat three times a day.” My cheeks flamed red. I’d shifted for a run at night, and that burned at least a thousand calories, and I hadn’t exactly been eating as much as I would’ve back home … but I couldn’t really afford to.

Rage’s eyes flashed orange. “Are you ever hungry?”

“Doesn’t the school deliver groceries?” Justice chimed in with a growl.

“Nai, are you seriously not getting enough food?” Noble asked as his voice crashed in with his brothers.

I dropped the chip in my hand and cringed. Too bad I couldn’t shrink myself or turn invisible.

“Dudes, drop it,” Honor snapped at his brothers. “You’re embarrassing her. Can’t you see that?”

Bless you, Honor.

Rage shook himself, eyes back to green, and the other brothers pulled their gazes away from me.

“Sorry, Nai. No offense intended.” Noble cleared his throat and shared a look with Justice.

“It’s … uh … fine. No worries. Seriously.” I burbled the words, nearly incoherent as my mind spun. The boys were acting very, very weird. Like super protective.

If all of the Midnight princes knew and believed the same backstory of the Crescent Clan’s banishment, that my uncle killed their dad, then why would any of them be nice to me? Either some of them questioned those events, or they knew I had nothing to do with it. I was a baby at the time. Their actions didn’t seem fake or forced, but was I reading them right? My instinct said yes, and I was 87.2% sure they liked me.

Maybe even Rage—well, ‘liked’ might be a little much. Tolerated was better.

I studied Honor and Noble; they both had hazel eyes, not the same vibrant green like my mate’s. I certainly didn’t get mate-vibes from either of them, more like pack-support vibes. Which left only Rage and Justice as mate-possibilities if, in fact, the asshat who kissed me was one of the Midnight princes.

“Hey, guys. Hey, Nai.” A blond dude who I’d seen around campus plopped in the sand at my feet, mercifully providing a distraction from the conversation about my eating habits.

The guy was stacked, his muscles jacked like a football player’s—the big ones who always tackle the smaller guys—and his emerald green eyes were warm as he appraised me.

How did he know my name? He was a guard, and though I’d waved to him going from my late-night dinner shift, I’d never spoken to him.

“You in for beach volleyball?” he asked as my eyes flicked to the Midnight Pack moon mark embroidered on his t-shirt.

But he had those green eyes. I was a connoisseur of green eyes and full lips now. Was this my mate?

I raised my eyebrows. “You want to play volleyball … at night?”

It wasn’t super dark yet, but volleyball wasn’t my thing. I was more of a stroll along the sand kinda gal. If dark worked as an excuse, I’d use it.

“It’s not like we can’t see,” he responded, his smile softening his reproach.

He was a looker—that’s what Lona would’ve called him—and while I leaned more toward tall, dark, and hot, this guy had me rethinking my preference.

“Touché.” I scooped up another mouthful of salsa while I asked his name.

“I’m Beowulf,” he said, grinning. “Like the poem.”

I choked on my food—again—because I’d read that epically long poem from a billion years ago for English lit. After I finished my coughing fit, I asked, “You do know what happens to Beowulf at the end, right?”

“Yup.” He winked. “But that’s after a good long life.”

This time when he grinned, his smile was feral, and his eyes sparked with fire. He radiated power so strong it was a palpable force, and it took conscious effort to raise my chin in defiance. While I could respect Beowulf as a dominant male, I refused to submit to his display of power.

He extended his hand. “Come play with me, Nai. I promise not to bite—unless you want me to.”

Before I could respond, Justice growled, “Go hit on someone else Beo. Nai’s with us.”

Um, what? My eyes widened, and I glanced at Justice out of the corner of my eye. Did he really just say…

“That’s how this is?” Beo glared at the princes before grumbling, “Fine.”

He kicked the sand and then waltzed off.

That was … awkward. And weird. I sucked in a breath and turned to tell Justice I could handle myself when Noble stole my vehemence.

“He’s a total player, Nai. You dodged a bullet,” he said.

“Beo probably has herpes,” Honor added.

I shook my head, trying to reboot my brain so I could make sense of this new version of reality, and my gaze collided with Justice’s. His eyes narrowed in a look I could only call possessive, which made zero sense, unless…

My heart skipped a beat.

Glancing away, my attention landed on—surprise!—Rage. Vitriolic anger poured off him like it was intentionally his namesake. The tension simmered just under his skin, his muscles clenched so tight I thought he might explode.

What … the … hell? How dare they?

I stood, setting the chips and salsa down, and faced the four boys. “Listen, I’m not your little sister. Most of the time, I’m not even sure you all like me, okay? So whatever game this is, stop it. The last thing I need is for you all to scare off any guy interested in me or I’ll die a virgin!”

The second it slipped out, I slapped my hand over my mouth.